title: Mental health of Latin Americans in Canada: a literature review.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Latin Americans represent one of the fastest-growing immigrant populations in Canada. But very little is known about their mental health.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This paper reviews the literature on the mental health of Latin American immigrants to Canada. The paper also identifies potential areas to expand the research agenda.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-five papers were identified by a comprehensive electronic search undertaken in medical- and humanities-related databases.
  s are reported in three sections: (1) the rates of mental illness; (2) the risk factors that affect mental health; and (3) the access and barriers to care and services. Findings indicate that despite the diversity of immigration from Latin America to Canada, much of the information on mental health focuses on Central American refugees. The most frequently examined risk factor is displacement as a consequence of political persecution and torture in the home country. Access to mental health services in this population seems to be limited by cultural differences and language barriers.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  New research on this topic should reflect the growing diversity and heterogeneity of the Latin American population in Canada.
authors.affiliation: 1Centre for Addiction & Mental Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
authors.forename: Jorge
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ginieniewicz
authors.forename: Kwame
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: McKenzie
mesh_terms: D002170:Canada; D003469:Culture; D054242:Emigrants and Immigrants / Q000523:psychology*; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006801:Humans; D007802:Language; D007843:Latin America / Q000208:ethnology; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000208:ethnology*; D008603:Mental Health / Q000208:ethnology*; D012036:Refugees / Q000523:psychology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D014104:Torture / Q000523:psychology
keywords: Latin American Canadians; Mental health; immigrants; literature review; refugees